Natural Resources and the Environment

Field Description

Graduate training emphasizes developing broad-based knowledge necessary to manage natural resources. 

The M.S. and Ph.D. programs are research oriented, and each requires a thesis or dissertation. Students are normally expected to obtain the M.S. or equivalent degree before entering the Ph.D. program. A Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree is available for students whose interests are not primarily research-oriented.

The Field of Natural Resources provides freedom to design a graduate program that addresses the individual interests of students. Excellent laboratory and field facilities are available. Many graduate students in the field also pursue international research topics.

The graduate program in natural resources is highly individualized and interdisciplinary. Students work with faculty advisors to identify course requirements and to define a research or professional project. In order to be admitted, a faculty member must express interest in supervising a prospective student, therefore it is important to correspond with potential faculty advisors during the application process.

Contact Information

Website: http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/cals/dnr/graduate/index.cfm
Email: sah49@cornell.edu
Phone: 607 255-2809

111D Fernow Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY  14853

Data and Statistics

• Doctoral Program Statistics
• Research Master's Program Statistics
• Professional Master's Program Statistics

Field Manual

• Manual

Subject and Degrees

Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources)

• Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources) (M.P.S.) (Ithaca)

Natural Resources

• Natural Resources (M.S.) (Ithaca)
• Natural Resources (M.S./Ph.D.) (Ithaca)
• Natural Resources (Ph.D.) (Ithaca)

Concentrations by Subject

Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources)

• applied ecology
• community-based natural resources management
• conservation biology
• fishery and aquatic science
• policy and institutional analysis
• program development and evaluation
• quantitative ecology
• risk analysis and management
• social analysis & environmental decision making (minor) (minor)
• water resource management (minor) (minor)
• wildlife science

Natural Resources

• applied ecology
• community-based natural resources management
• conservation biology
• ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry
• fishery and aquatic science
• forest science
• human dimensions of natural resources management
• policy and institutional analysis
• program development and evaluation
• quantitative ecology
• risk analysis and management
• wildlife science

Faculty

Ginger RH Allington

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; community-based natural resources management
• Research Interests: landscape ecology; social-ecological systems modeling; land use/land cover change; rangelands & pastoralists; remote sensing

Shorna R. Allred

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; forest science; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation
• Research Interests: human dimensions of natural resource management with emphasis on forest and water resources; conservation-related attitudes and behavior; forest resource policy

Jose A. Andres

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science; wildlife science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science; wildlife science
• Research Interests: ecological genetics, systematics, population biology, molecular population genetics; evolutionary-ecological genomics; environmental DNA

Christopher Brendan Barrett

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: poverty-environment relationship; natural resources management in developing country agriculture; tropical biodiversity conservation; environment and development economics

Bernd Blossey

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science; forest science
• Research Interests: forest and wetland ecology; impact of invasive species; plant-insect interactions; biological control; management of multiple stressors

David N. Bonter

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; wildlife science
• Research Interests: avian ecology, general ecology, citizen science

Louise E. Buck

• Campus: Ithaca - (Divisional Member)
• Concentrations: Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): community-based natural resources management
• Research Interests: integrated landscape management, agroforestry landscapes, climate-smart landscapes, capacity-building program evaluation

Evan G Cooch

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; quantitative ecology; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: wildlife ecology and management; population dynamics; population modeling; quantitative methods; theoretical ecology

Paul D Curtis

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology
• Research Interests: wildlife damage management; wildlife policy and conflict resolution; extension program development

Anna Margaret Davidson

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: program development and evaluation; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): program development and evaluation
• Research Interests: Ecological Arts, Visual Art, Environment & Sustainability, Science Communication, Interdisciplinary Education Research in Art and Science.

Daniel Joseph Decker

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; program development and evaluation
• Research Interests: human dimensions of wildlife management

Andre Alfons Dhondt

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; wildlife science
• Research Interests: population ecology; disease ecology

Timothy James Fahey

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; forest science
• Research Interests: dynamics of forest ecosystems

Kathryn Fiorella

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science; human dimensions of natural resources management; program development and evaluation; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science; program development and evaluation
• Research Interests: planetary health/one health, fisheries, food and livelihood security, nutrition

Alexander S Flecker

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: stream ecology; fish ecology; food web and ecosystem ecology; tropical ecology and conservation

Angela K. Fuller

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; quantitative ecology
• Research Interests: wildlife ecology and management; landscape ecology; conservation biology; decision analysis

Christine L Goodale

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: ecosystem ecology, terrestrial biogeochemistry, global change

Steven M Grodsky

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; forest science; wildlife science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; wildlife science
• Research Interests: renewable energy ecology, wildlife ecology and management, entomology, sustainability science

Matthew P. Hare

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: conservation genetics; phylogeography; population genetics

Robert Warren Howarth

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science; policy and institutional analysis; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: aquatic science; resource policy and management; environmental management; biochemistry; aquatic ecosystem science; application of science to environmental management; coastal marine ecology; watershed science and management

Steven Mana'oakamai Johnson

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; fishery and aquatic science; human dimensions of natural resources management; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: Social-ecological systems, Climate change, Coral reef ecology and conservation, Marine protected areas, Fisheries, Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in conservation, Traditional ecological and Indigenous knowledge.

Karim-Aly S. Kassam

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis
• Research Interests: bio-cultural diversity; indigenous cultures and change; climate change and its impacts; community economic development; gender analysis; human ecology; indigenous knowledge (ways of knowing)

Holger Klinck

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; wildlife science
• Research Interests: bioacoustics, passive-acoustic monitoring, acoustic communication, ecoacoustics

Catherine Louise Kling

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: human dimensions of natural resources management

Barbara A Knuth

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: resource policy and evaluation; human dimensions of natural resource management

Clifford E Kraft

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: fish ecology; ecology of lakes and streams; aquatic resource conservation and management

Marianne Elizabeth Krasny

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; program development and evaluation
• Research Interests: civic ecology; urban environmental stewardship; environmental education; environmental learning in stressed communities

James Philip Lassoie

• Campus: Ithaca - (Graduate School Professor)
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology
• Research Interests: ecoagriculture; forest ecology and management; environmental conservation and sustainable development; international studies

Bruce Lauber

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; program development and evaluation; risk analysis and management; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): community-based natural resources management; program development and evaluation; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: conflict and collaboration in natural resource and environmental management, stakeholder engagement in decision making, risk management and communication related to fisheries management

David R. Lee

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: public policy analysis; applied econometrics and quantitative analysis

Peter McIntyre

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science

Jeffrey C. Milder

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation
• Research Interests: Evaluation of the environmental and social effects of adopting voluntary sustainability standards in the agriculture, forestry, and tourism sectors;Participatory and community-based monitoring of agricultural and forestry production systems; Synergies and tradeoffs between crop productivity and environmental outcomes in agroecological production systems;Relationships between site-scale management of production systems and landscape- and watershed-scale flows of ecosystem services and other benefits; Landscape approaches to reconciling food production, conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and livelihood improvement;Roles of non-state mechanisms (especially voluntary sustainability standards and corporate sustainability initiatives) in mainstreaming sustainable production and consumption practices;Innovations in biodiversity monitoring and assessment methods, particularly for applications such as land-use planning, environmental impact assessment, and biodiversity offsetting; and Innovation in monitoring and evaluation practices and systems, including new technologies for data collection, management, and visualization to support adaptive management.

Stephen J. Morreale

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; wildlife science
• Research Interests: conservation ecology; vertebrate conservation; marine conservation; remote sensing and telemetry; spatial analysis and GIS;forest biodiversity conservation; amphibian and reptile ecology

Ariel Ortiz-Bobea

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: human dimensions of natural resources management; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): policy and institutional analysis
• Research Interests: Climate change; environmental change; impacts and adaptation; agricultural development; geospatial analysis; coupled human and natural systems; quantitative and econometric methods.

Steven A. Osofsky

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; wildlife science
• Research Interests: wildlife conservation; ecology

Robin William Radcliffe

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; conservation biology
• Research Interests: wildlife conservation, ecology, community conservation

Aaron N. Rice

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: fish ecology, marine biology, conservation, bioacoustics

Amanda Rodewald

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology
• Research Interests: community ecology, population ecology, conservation biology, avian ecology, urban ecology, wildlife management

Jeffrey Andrew Royle

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; quantitative ecology; wildlife science
• Research Interests: capture-recapture methods, bayesian analysis

Lars Gosta Rudstam

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; fishery and aquatic science; quantitative ecology
• Research Interests: fish biology; fisheries management; aquatic ecology; limnology

Rebecca L Schneider

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; community-based natural resources management; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; quantitative ecology
• Research Interests: wetlands; integrated water resource management; landscape ecology; hydrology

Jonathon Schuldt

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: human dimensions of natural resources management; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: public opinion, environmental communication, message framing, environmental attitudes and behavior

Suresh Andrew Sethi

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; fishery and aquatic science; human dimensions of natural resources management; quantitative ecology; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: fisheries aquatic and marine ecosystems;natural resource management; applied statistics; risk assessment and risk management

Richard C. Stedman

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis; program development and evaluation; risk analysis and management
• Research Interests: linkages between social and ecological systems; natural resource and community interactions; natural resources; environmental sociology; human dimensions of natural resource management

Nina Overgaard Therkildsen

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; conservation biology; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: population genetics, evolutionary genomics, rapid adaptation,molecular ecology, fisheries, conservation

Keith G. Tidball

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; human dimensions of natural resources management; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): community-based natural resources management
• Research Interests: Keith is an environmental anthropologist and naturalist focused on better understanding how to amplify recruitment of citizen conservationists and the development of a 21st century land ethic. His work features efforts to locate and explore portals and pathways into conservation behaviors and other human dimensions of social-ecological systems resilience. Grounded in cultural anthropology, disturbance ecology and environmental psychology, he approaches this challenge via his integrated research and extension work exploring the dynamics of natural resource management in the contexts of trauma, disturbance, disasters and war. Experiences in the military and in the field of international disaster response and relief inform his unique brand of applied scholarship, including stints throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Todd Walter

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science; quantitative ecology
• Research Interests: ecohydrology; water resources; pollutant fate-transport; watershed modeling; biogeochemistry

James Martin Watkins

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: applied ecology; ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry; fishery and aquatic science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): applied ecology; fishery and aquatic science
• Research Interests: Great Lakes, lower food web ecology, new technologies

Steven A Wolf

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: community-based natural resources management; conservation biology; human dimensions of natural resources management; policy and institutional analysis
• Research Interests: environmental policy; agricultural development; conservation planning; innovation and technical change; institutional analysis

Joseph B Yavitt

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: ecosystem biology and biogeochemistry
• Research Interests: ecology of forest and wetland ecosystems; biogeochemistry

John Aloysius Zinda

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Natural Resources: human dimensions of natural resources management; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Natural Resources): policy and institutional analysis
• Research Interests: environmental sociology, rural livelihoods, agriculture, forest restoration, risk and disasters, community, political ecology, China